Islam Makhachev is the consensus pound-for-pound best in the world now, though it's almost by default. It's not that the UFC lightweight champion doesn't deserve such a ranking, but it is fair to question if he'd universally be recognized as No. 1 now if heavyweight champion Jon Jones were more active. Jones has not fought since winning the belt at UFC 285 on March 4, 2023, and he's not expected to fight again until November. The bout last year against Ciryl Gane was his first since a win over Dominick Reyes on Feb. 8, 2020.
Makachev has not only been fighting regularly, but he's stepped up the competition level and has been meeting the absolute best. He's coming off of a pair of victories over Alex Volkanovski, who went into their first bout regarded as No. 1.
Makhachev's dominance has been somewhat overlooked because of his Oct. 3, 2015, KO loss to Adriano Martins at UFC 196 in Houston. Since then, Makhachev has won 13 in a row to improve his record to 25-1 with 16 finishes. He's been particularly dominant in his last seven fights, dating back to a fourth-round submission of Drew Dober on March 6, 2021, winning six of those by finish despite facing what easily has been his greatest opposition in that time frame.
On Saturday, he'll defend his belt for a third time, against former interim champion Dustin Poirier, in the main event of UFC 302 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Poirier is a legend in the sport who is coming off of a sensational knockout of Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 in Miami. That's the kind of performance that garners attention, and have no doubt that Makhachev is well aware of the threat he faces on Saturday.
"It's important for your legacy when you beat someone like Dustin Poirier," Makhachev said. "I don't know who has a bigger name in the UFC than Dustin Poirier right now."
As every fighter says, Makhachev is only focused on the bout on Saturday, but with a win over Poirier, he's going to begin to force his way into another conversation. If he beats Poirier and ups his record to 26-1 and has wins in succession over Oliveira, Volkanovski twice and Poirier, he needs to at least be in the discussion as one of the five or 10 greatest MMA fighters who ever lived.
That's been the exclusive domain now of a handful of fighters which includes Jones, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, Fedor Emelianenko and Demetrious Johnson. Makhachev also threw Jose Aldo's name into that mix.
What Makhachev is doing, though, is impressive. There are so many ways to lose in an MMA match and already in his career, he's put together streaks of 12 and 13 victories in a row. Jones is 27-1 with a no-contest, though that no-contest was a knockout of Daniel Poirier that was later overturned because of a failed drug test. Jones has won 18 in a row since his only defeat, a disqualification loss to Matt "The Hammer" Hamill in 2009 that was widely regarded as an error by the referee.
Nurmagomedov, Makhachev's mentor, close friend and coach, retired as the undisputed lightweight champion after a finish of Justin Gaethje with a 29-0 record. Johnson made 11 consecutive successful defenses of the flyweight title.
We could go on, but you get the point: The accomplishments are significant by those in contention.
Makhachev believes in himself and his ability to force his way into that conversation, though he's not ready to go there yet.
"I can be [the best ever] but we can only talk about that when I win the second belt," he said, referring to a potential championship at welterweight.
Things are breaking nicely for him to get the scalps he needs on the resume. A win over an elite talent like Poirier would be huge. If he chose to move up after this fight and chase the welterweight crown, he's on a similar schedule as welterweight champion Leon Edwards. Edwards defends his belt at UFC 304 on July 27 in Manchester, England, against Belal Muhammad.
Edwards is ranked No. 3 pound-for-pound by the UFC, so if he and Makhachev both win their fights, they could meet in either New York on Nov. 9 underneath Jones-Stipe Miocic or in Las Vegas in December as the main event.
Either way, Makhachev has transitioned from an elite wrestler to an elite overall MMA fighter. He's a great striker and a great wrestler, but he takes pride in being as well-rounded as can be.
"That's the most important," he said.
If he's able to add two more big wins by the end of the year, that transition from great wrestler to great fighter will advance to a new level.
Then, and deservedly so, his name will be mentioned equally alongside the legends of his sport.